DOCSLIB.ORG

Exploring the Nature of God | Connecting to the Divine Cosmos August 27Th

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Exploring the Nature of God | Connecting to the Divine Cosmos August 27Th Exploring the Nature of God | Connecting to the Divine Cosmos August 27th “We are travelers on a cosmic journey,stardust,swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.” Paulo Coelho The Alchemist Overview Welcome to our FIRST CLASS of Summer Confirmation Prep..we at STME are so happy to have you teach our young generation of the Church, and I am confident that our lesson today will help teens realize the importance of faith as a compass of navigating life’s journey, all the while enshrouding our teens with the sheer magnitude and mystery that is God...to attract our teens to the awestruck mystery that is God and the divine cosmos, yet tethering them to our human reality and helping them discover the divine reality in a tangible way: Prayer and the Mass. I would like for the first half hour (or hour of class, if you so choose) to take the opportunity to introduce yourself to your small group. While I myself am an eager beaver and would like to take advantage of diving deep into learning the lessons with what precious little time is allocated to us, ministering to these teens takes baby steps. Alas, Christ himself got to intimately know his follower’s souls, needs, and desires. I ask of you, during this time, to ask each student to share about themselves and take time with their responses...make sure to respond back and affirm. You are more than welcome to use their surveys as talking points, and going out on tangents if students open up a can of worms in conversation. The second portion of class, we will have the duty of helping students articulate God (no easy task) and the importance of asking questions, being curious, and not being afraid of doing research (Bible, Mass, talking to priests, etc.) In addition, you will be asked to segway “Who is God” to having students make the connection that discovering who God is comes from prayer: A tangible resource that hints at God’s tangible closeness to each and every one of us. Goals 1. Teach students the nature of God, which requires an introduction to philosophical thinking. Emphasize the themes of “wonder”, “awe”, “immensity”...the overarching definition of God is “love.” 2. Help students understand that prayer is our connecting point to God, and that prayer occurs in a variety of methods. Help students ponder over how they would like to pray, and what methods may be effective for them. 3. Begin to introduce to your teens the importance of Mass and reading the Bible (The themes for our next class). Such supplemental discussions can expand on the variety of ways one may reach God...God is always accessible when one is willing to be vulnerable enough to hear God’s voice. Resources 1. How Evolutionary Science Reveals God’s Character (Article) https://biologos.org/resources/how-evolutionary-science-reveals-gods-character/ 2. Bishop Don Hying “Does God Really Exist?” http://www.archmil.org/c4video/C4-02.htm 3. The Veil Removed - Film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOLZDaTgIaM 4. Father Mike Schmitz - Why We Don’t Drink Coffee at Mass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT-B2fK_EB0 The Nature of God The nature of God is quite vast and due to our human nature, can be expressed in a multitude of ways. The earliest humans during the Paleolithic Era used cave paintings, paintings that depicted animals, daily life, and handprints to make sense of their human reality and what may lay beyond. To think that the first of mankind has the capacity to not only survive, but maintain a consciousness and wonder, is scientifically spectacular. The keyword I would like to stress is “wonder”, in which God is the ultimate Wonder of the World. There are many things in our human reality that we consider “wonderful” such as the birth of a child, gazing at the stars, and the rewards of a hard night’s study session. One might ask… “Where is the connection between God and what we consider wonderful? Can’t wonderful things happen without God’s presence?” The ligaments that hold the flesh between God and what we perceive as wonderful is LOVE and the energy of creation. God’s presence in love is spurred on by creation and the evidence is the progress of mankind to become his/her authentic self. God created man to serve as agents of love, and when we stray from that authentic self, chaos ensues (as our modern world so vividly portrays). In other words, we are co-creators of God’s love, and thus are part of God’s self. Think about it: The fact that early man traced their own hands on cave walls among the canvas of iconological art signifies that man considered himself to be a part of the spiritual “otherness” that mystified them. Thus, the nature of God is the following: ● God is all life that is created and adored by authentic admiration, wonder, and LOVE. So I’ve gone through a bunch of philosophical jargon, and thus I want to convey it in a way for these teens to understand the magnitude, intensity, and mystery that surrounds God. ● Early man and the paintings he created are indicative of our capacity to reflect on our selves. Ask students: Have they ever looked at the clear, night sky and wonder “Where DID this all come from? What else is out there? Who am I? ● As human beings, we are special on earth. The other day, I listened to a podcast Sunday Special, and they were discussing the recent story of Navy surveillance capturing pictures of UFOs. One of the guests on the show simply asked “Why do we have to believe some other life is out there? Perhaps we should consider that WE are special, and hold dignity in being unique creations of God’s universe.” Tell the kids that they INDEED ARE SPECIAL BECAUSE GOD RESTS IN THEIR BEING. ● With teens’ daily lives being so chaotic and busy, when do they spend time reflecting? ○ Ask them to think about the last time they reflected on the hard questions. I like to call these “shower thoughts.” ● I think we all understand too well the mundane schedule of life that creeps up from time to time: Get up, expend energy for work/studies, take care of business, sleep and repeat. We seem to lose a sense of dignity and purpose with just that...so we NEED to dive deeper as humans we have this innate ability to inject meaning into our lives. Socrates is a fine example of a man that took seriously the case of what it means to be human and practiced the act of reflecting. Consider the following: Socrates said “The unexamined life is not worth living” (Socrates lived 400 BC – wasn’t Christian but was enthralled by religious ideologies of his time.) 1) What do you think Socrates meant by this? 2) Do you agree, disagree, a little of each? Why? 3) Throughout history, human beings have wrestled with the deepest questions of life. What are some of the deep questions that, over time, humans never seem to stop asking? 4) Have you had experiences in your life that caused you to think about these deep questions? If so, what were they? (death in the family, natural disaster, birth of a brother or sister, a netflix documentary, etc.) As Catholics we believe that the answers to many of these questions can be found in a relationship with God. But in order to understand God’s answers, we first need to believe that God exists, understand the nature of God and then develop a relationship with Him. Today, we’re going to talk about how we can know that God exists. Many teens who are preparing for their Confirmation already believe that God exists. Some don’t. We think it’s important to talk about it for a couple of reasons: ● If you don’t believe that God exists, we want you to consider the possibility that He does exist and learn some of the ways you might be able to discover that He’s real. ● If you already believe in God, chances are that you know (or will know) some people who don’t believe that He exists. In case anyone were to try to convince us that He doesn’t exist, we want to have thought about how we would explain why we believe He’s real. ASK: 1) So let me ask you, what reasons do people give for their belief in God? (Depending on your group and your comfort level, you may just ask straight up: “Do you believe in God, why or why not?” rather than using these two separate questions) 2) What reasons do people give who don’t believe in God? 3) Which do you think are the strongest or most compelling? (Or depending on your group, you might ask them what they would share with someone who asked them why they believe that God is real) 4) Which are the weakest? Their answers may fall into some of the categories from One on One: Exploring the God Question (See photocopied handout for help). ● If you’re comfortable, please share your personal story or reasons why you believe that He is real and really loves you. ● If appropriate to your discussion, encourage them to share their personal reason for believing that God is real.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Department of Physics and Astronomy 6127 Wilder Laboratory, Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 03755 Email: [email protected]
    CURRICULUM VITAE Name: Marcelo Gleiser Address: Department of Physics and Astronomy 6127 Wilder Laboratory, Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 03755 Email: [email protected] http://www.marcelogleiser.com Telephone: (+1-603) 646-1489/2359 (office) Social Media: Website: https://marcelogleiser.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Marcelo-Gleiser-181684578568436/ Twitter: https://twitter.com Instagram: gleiserofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MarceloGleiser Date of Birth: March 19th, 1959 Place of Birth: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (U.S. Citizen) Education: Ph.D.: Theoretical Physics from the University of London, King's College London, Jul. 1986. Thesis title: Kaluza-Klein Cosmology Ph.D. advisor: Prof. J.G. Taylor. M.Sc.: Physics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Jul. 1982. Thesis title: Gauge Field Copies and the Higgs Mechanism. B.Sc.: Physics from the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Jul. 1981. Honors and Awards: • Doctor Honoris Causa { State University of Maranh~ao,Brazil (2020). • 2019 Templeton Prize laureate. • Doctor Honoris Causa { Pontifical Catholic University of Paran´a,Brazil (2019). • 2019 Education Leadership Award from Educando by Worldfund Foundation. • Honorary Fellow, International Society for Science and Religion. • Fellow of the American Physical Society. • 2018 Drawbridge Lecture in Science and Religion, Saint Paul's Cathedral, London. • Elected Professor Extraordinarius at the University of South Africa. • Winner of the 2017 \Jabuti Award", the highest literary award given in Brazil, for nonfiction book \The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected". • Winner of the 2002 \Jabuti Award", the highest literary award given in Brazil, for nonfiction book \The Prophet and the Astronomer". • Winner of the 1998 \Jabuti Award", the highest literary award given in Brazil, for nonfiction book \The Dancing Universe: From Creation Myths to the Big Bang".
    [Show full text]
  • Atheism Is Inconsistent with the Scientific Method, Prizewinning Physicist Says - Scientific American
    8/4/2019 Atheism Is Inconsistent with the Scientific Method, Prizewinning Physicist Says - Scientific American Subscribe PHYSICS Atheism Is Inconsistent with the Scientific Method, Prizewinning Physicist Says In conversation, the 2019 Templeton Prize winner does not pull punches on the limits of science, the value of humility and the irrationality of nonbelief By Lee Billings on March 20, 2019 Theoretical physicist Marcelo Gleiser, recipient of the 2019 Templeton Prize. Credit: Eli Burakian Dartmouth College https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/atheism-is-inconsistent-with-the-scientific-method-prizewinning-physicist-says/ 1/10 8/4/2019 Atheism Is Inconsistent with the Scientific Method, Prizewinning Physicist Says - Scientific American ADVERTISEMENT Marcelo Gleiser, a 60-year-old Brazil-born theoretical physicist at Dartmouth College and prolific science popularizer, has won this year’s Templeton Prize. Valued at just under $1.5 million, the award from the John Templeton Foundation annually recognizes an individual “who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension.” Its past recipients include scientific luminaries such as Sir Martin Rees and Freeman Dyson, as well as religious or political leaders such as Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama. Across his 35-year scientific career, Gleiser’s research has covered a wide breadth of topics, ranging from the properties of the early universe to the behavior of fundamental particles and the origins of life. But in awarding him its most prestigious honor, the Templeton Foundation chiefly cited his status as a leading public intellectual revealing “the historical, philosophical and cultural links between science, the humanities and spirituality.” He is also the first Latin American to receive the prize.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Volume 20 | Number 2
    NEWSLETTERS | The American Philosophical Association APA Newsletters SPRING 2021 VOLUME 20 | NUMBER 2 ASIAN AND ASIAN AMERICAN PHILOSOPHERS AND PHILOSOPHIES FEMINISM AND PHILOSOPHY HISPANIC/LATINO ISSUES IN PHILOSOPHY NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS PHILOSOPHY PHILOSOPHY AND THE BLACK EXPERIENCE TEACHING PHILOSOPHY VOLUME 20 | NUMBER 2 SPRING 2021 © 2021 BY THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION ISSN 2155-9708 Table of Contents Asian and Asian American Philosophers and Ethical Narratives and Oppositional Philosophies ...................................................... 1 Consciousness ......................................................... 67 Editors’ Introduction: Buddhist Modernism and Its What It’s Like to Grow Up Poor, but Fall in Love Discontents ................................................................ 1 with Philosophy: A Notice to the Profession in Case It Forgot ........................................................... 71 Articles ....................................................................... 5 Knowing What to Order at the Conference Précis of Why I Am Not a Buddhist ............................ 5 Dinner ....................................................................... 75 On Pursuing the Dialogue Between Buddhism and Epistemic Shame as a First-Generation Scholar ..... 77 Science in Ways That Distort Neither ........................ 8 Marginal Disclosures: Sisterhood, Standpoint, On Being a Good Friend to Buddhist Philosophy ... 15 Community, and Thriving......................................... 80 Buddhism
    [Show full text]
  • Curriculum Vitae – Edward W. (Rocky) Kolb
    Curriculum Vitae Edward W. (Rocky) Kolb Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics The University of Chicago 5640 South Ellis Ave. Chicago, IL 60637-1433 Phone: Research Office (773)702-0597, Dean’s Office (773)702-7950 Assistant: Linda Connolly (773) (773)702-7950 [email protected] http://astro.uchicago.edu/~rocky/ Personal Data: Birth: October 2, 1951, New Orleans, LA Citizenship: United States Family: Married, three children Home phone: (630) 393-7058 Education: Ph.D. in Physics, 1978 The University of Texas, Austin, Texas Thesis Topic: Astrophysical Limits to Weak Interaction Phenomenology Thesis Advisor: Professor Duane A. Dicus B.S. in Physics, 1973 University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana Research Interests: The major area of research is the application of particle physics to cosmology and astrophysics. Most of the work has involved the study of the very early Universe—inflation, dark matter, dark energy, cosmological/astrophysical limits on particle properties, baryogenesis, phase transitions, axions, etc. An additional area of my activity is science education, particularly with regard to education for the general public. This activity includes writing and lecturing on cosmology. Present Positions: Arthur Holly Compton Distinguished Service Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics (since 2007) (Faculty member since 1984) Member, Enrico Fermi Institute Member, Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics Professor in the College Dean of the Physical Sciences (since 1 July 2013) The University of Chicago 1 Previous Positions:
    [Show full text]
  • Particle Astrophysics Center
    Rocky Kolb/URA Visiting Committee/22 April 2005 ParticleParticle AstrophysicsAstrophysics atat FermilabFermilab • The role of Particle Astrophysics at Fermilab • The role of Fermilab in Particle Astrophysics • A word on procedure • Fermilab Particle Astrophysics Projects – Theoretical Astrophysics – Sloan Digital Sky Survey History – Pierre Auger Project Fermilab science role – Cryogenic Dark Matter Search Future prospects – Dark Energy Survey – SNAP/JDEM • Particle Astrophysics Center Rocky Kolb/URA Visiting Committee/22 April 2005 ParticleParticle AstrophysicsAstrophysics atat FermilabFermilab The role of Particle Astrophysics at Fermilab Fermilab Mission statement: Fermilab advances the understanding of the fundamental nature of matter and energy by providing leadership and resources for qualified researchers to conduct basic research at the frontiers for high energy physics and related fields. Fermilab Long Range Plan (May 2004): Fermilab should substantially expand its leadership role in Particle Astrophysics, which provides probes of fundamental physics that complement accelerator experiments. Rocky Kolb/URA Visiting Committee/22 April 2005 ParticleParticle AstrophysicsAstrophysics atat FermilabFermilab The role of Particle Astrophysics at Fermilab • Explore Inner Space/Outer Space Connections • HEP questions are Cosmic Questions – Barish/Bagger Report – Physics of the Universe – Beyond Einstein – Quarks to the Cosmos – Quantum Universe • Recognition at the funding agencies – interagency committees and task forces – jointly funded
    [Show full text]
  • Highlights of Modern Physics and Astrophysics
    Highlights of Modern Physics and Astrophysics How to find the “Top Ten” in Physics & Astrophysics? - List of Nobel Laureates in Physics - Other prizes? Templeton prize, … - Top Citation Rankings of Publication Search Engines - Science News … - ... Nobel Laureates in Physics Year Names Achievement 2020 Sir Roger Penrose "for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity" Reinhard Genzel, Andrea Ghez "for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy" 2019 James Peebles "for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology" Michel Mayor, Didier Queloz "for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star" 2018 Arthur Ashkin "for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics", in particular "for the optical tweezers and their application to Gerard Mourou, Donna Strickland biological systems" "for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics", in particular "for their method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses" Nobel Laureates in Physics Year Names Achievement 2017 Rainer Weiss "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the Kip Thorne, Barry Barish observation of gravitational waves" 2016 David J. Thouless, "for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions F. Duncan M. Haldane, and topological phases of matter" John M. Kosterlitz 2015 Takaaki Kajita, "for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that Arthur B. MsDonald neutrinos have mass" 2014 Isamu Akasaki, "for the invention of
    [Show full text]
  • A Brief Overview of Funding in the Field of Consciousness Report
    A Brief Overview of Funding in the Field of Consciousness Summary Report Sherry Consulting June 15, 2020 Introduction....................................................................................................................................1 Methodology and Interview Process............................................................................................ 1 Definition of Consciousness...........................................................................................................2 The Funding Landscape................................................................................................................2 The Foundation and Private Philanthropy Landscape............................................................................2 Legacy Foundations...........................................................................................................................3 1. The Fetzer Institute 2. Fetzer Memorial Trust 3. Fetzer Franklin Fund 4. The Templeton World Charity Foundation 5. The John Templeton Foundation Newer Entrants to the Field................................................................................................................7 1. The Tiny Blue Dot Foundation 2. Emerald Gate Foundation 3. Evolve 4. The 1440 Foundation Funder Collaboratives, Collectives, and Other Funder Trends..............................................................11 1. The Synergos Global Philanthropists Circle – Spiritual Civilization Affinity Group 2. The Bridge Builders Collaborative 3. The Neurohacker
    [Show full text]
  • Francis Collins Awarded 2020 Templeton Prize
    Francis Collins Awarded 2020 Templeton Prize Geneticist and physician Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, who led the Human Genome Project to its successful completion in 2003 and throughout his career has advocated for the integration of faith and reason, was announced today as the 2020 Templeton Prize Laureate. In his scientific leadership, public speaking, and popular writing, including his bestselling 2006 book, The Language of God, Collins has demonstrated how religious faith can motivate and inspire rigorous scientific research. “This book argues that belief in God can be an entirely rational choice,” he writes in the introduction, “and that the principles of faith are, in fact, complementary with the principles of science.” In the book, he endeavors to encourage religious communities to embrace the latest discoveries of genetics and the biomedical sciences as insights to enrich and enlarge their faith. Collins, 70, was selected as the 2020 Laureate by the Prize judges late last year, but the announcement was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. From 1993 to 2008, Collins directed the National Human Genome Research Institute, guiding the Human Genome Project in its mapping and sequencing of the three billion DNA letters that make up the human genetic instruction book. Before joining the NIH, Collins served as professor of internal medicine and human genetics at the University of Michigan, where he was known as the “gene hunter” for his pioneering technique of “positional cloning” to pinpoint disease-related genes. His research groups have been responsible for the discovery of the genes responsible for cystic fibrosis, neurofibromatosis, Huntington’s disease, and Hutchinson-Guilford progeria syndrome, a rare form of premature aging.
    [Show full text]
  • Permanent Jobs Elusive for Recent Physics Phds
    Aug./Sept. 2012 • Vol. 21, No. 8 A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Focus on Advocacy see page 6 WWW.APS.ORG/PUBLICATIONS/APSNEWS Sam Aronson of Brookhaven Elected APS VP Permanent Jobs Elusive APS members elected Sam APS Council and Executive Board become its associate chair in 1987 Aronson of Brookhaven National as past-President. and its deputy chair in 1988. In for Recent Physics PhDs Laboratory to be the next vice- Aronson is currently the director 1991 he served as senior physicist Recent physics graduates with tion,” up from 7 percent for the president of the Society in elec- of Brookhaven National Labora- on the PHENIX detector while the PhDs have had a hard time find- graduating classes of 2007 and tions that concluded on June 29. tory and President of Brookhaven RHIC particle accelerator was be- ing potentially permanent jobs, 2008. As the newest member of the pres- Science Associates, the organiza- ing built. He later returned to the and have been increasingly likely The unemployment rate for idential line, Aronson will become tion in charge of running the lab. leadership of the physics division to take a post-doc position during graduates with a physics PhD has APS President in 2015. He was named director in 2006, af- and became its chairman in 2001. the recession. hovered at around 2 percent since The members also voted for He was elected an APS Fellow in This is the conclusion of two as far back as 1979, well below Marcia Barbosa of the Federal 2001 and a Fellow of the American studies released in July by the the national average, even in eco- University of Rio Grande do Sul, Association for the Advancement statistical research center at the nomic boom times.
    [Show full text]
  • Christopher Alan Fuchs Curriculum Vitae 8 November 2019
    Christopher Alan Fuchs Curriculum Vitae 8 November 2019 Personal: Work address: Department of Physics University of Massachusetts Boston 100 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts 02125 Internet: [email protected] http://www.physics.umb.edu/Research/QBism/ http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=fe9uXzkAAAAJ Research Interests: Quantum foundations in the light of quantum information Quantum information theory Professional Positions (beyond postdoctoral level): Professor of Physics, University of Massachusetts Boston, 2015{ Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, Garching, Germany, 2014 Senior Scientist, Raytheon BBN Technologies, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2013{2014 Senior Researcher, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Canada, 2007{2013 Member of Technical Staff, Bell Laboratories, Alcatel-Lucent, Murray Hill, New Jersey, 2000{2007 Education: Ph. D. in Physics, May 1996, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico Dissertation: \Distinguishability and Accessible Information in Quantum Theory" Advisor: Carlton M. Caves B. S. in Physics with High Honors, December 1987 B. S. in Mathematics with High Honors, December 1987 The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas Research Supervisor: John Archibald Wheeler Titles, Honors, Awards, Marks of Distinction: Fellow of the American Physical Society. Elected 2012, \for powerful theorems and lucid expositions" that culminated in the view of quantum theory known as QBism. International Quantum Communication Award, 2010, citation: \for contributions to the theory of quan- tum communication including quantum state disturbance." Lee A. DuBridge Prize Postdoctoral Fellowship, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 1996{1999. Paper A45 was listed among the \top ten breakthroughs of the year 1998" by the editors of Science. The Web of Science Citation Index gives a citation count of ≥ 6; 200, with a Hirsch index h = 31 and an average of 117/paper, on the 54 journal articles it lists for me.
    [Show full text]
  • Livro Aos Jovens O Desafio Da Ciência No Século
    Aos Jovens O Desafio da Ciência no Século XXI ARIOSTO HOLANDA Fortaleza-CE. | 2015 FICHA TÉCNICA Copyright – © 2015 by INESP INSTITUTO DE ESTUDOS CONSELHO DE ALTOS ESTUDOS E PESQUISAS SOBRE O E ASSUNTOS ESTRATÉGICOS DESENVOLVIMENTO DO DA ASSEMBLEIA LEGISLATIVA CEARÁ – INESP DO ESTADO DO CEARÁ Assistente editorial Coordenação geral Andrea Fernandes Melo Ariosto Holanda Capa Apoio administrativo Valdemice Costa de Sousa (Valdo) Antonio Martins da Costa Flávia Vasconselos Diógenes Paulo Sérgio dos Santos Carlos Ronaldo Mota Tânia Maria Rodrigues de Pinho Jornalista responsável Angela Marinho – (MtB CE 686JP) Catalogado: Biblioteca César Cals de Oliveira, da Assembleia Legislativa do Estado do Ceará. H 722 j Holanda, Ariosto. Aos jovens: o desafio da Ciência no século XXI/ Ariosto Holanda. – Fortaleza: INESP, 2015. 171p. 1. Ciência. 2. Tecnologia. 3. Biotecnologia. 4. Nanotecnologia. I. Holanda, Ariosto II. Assembleia Legislativa do Estado do Ceará. III. Instituto de Estudos e Pesquisas sobre o Desenvolvimento do Estado do Ceará. IV. Título. CDDdir. 500 Instituto de Estudos e Pesquisas Sobre o Desenvolvimento do Ceará - INESP Av. Desembargador Moreira, 2807 Ed. Senador César Cals – 1º andar CEP 60170-900 – Fortaleza, CE – Brasil Tel.: (85) 3277.3701 [email protected] APRESENTAÇÃO “O avanço da tecnologia tem resultado no aprofundamento do conhecimento de poucos e no aumento da ignorância de muitos”. O professor Ariosto Holanda, secretário executivo do Conselho de Altos Estudos da Assembleia Legislativa do Estado do Ceará escreveu esse livro Aos Jovens - O Desafio da Ciência no Século XXI, com o objetivo de atrair os estudantes do ensino fundamental e médio para as áreas estratégicas imprescindíveis ao desenvolvimento científico e tecnológico do país: Matemática, Física, Química e Biologia.
    [Show full text]
  • UNIFICATION and the LIMITS of KNOWLEDGE an Essay by Marcelo
    UNIFICATION AND THE LIMITS OF KNOWLEDGE An essay by Marcelo Gleiser∗ for the contest “WHAT IS ULTIMATELY POSSIBLE IN PHYSICS” The only truly serious questions are the ones that even a child can formulate. Only the most naïve of questions are truly serious. They are questions with no answers. A question with no answer is a barrier that cannot be breached. In other words, it is questions with no answers that set the limits of human possibilities, describe the boundaries of human existence. Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being ABSTRACT: I examine the question of whether it is possible to construct a final theory of Nature in a reductionist sense. Complete unification implicitly assumes total knowledge of physical reality. Can such knowledge be obtained? I examine two fundamental limitations which indicate that the answer is in the negative. To begin, science cannot explain the problem of the first cause, even within a valid quantum mechanical formulation of gravity. Also, our knowledge of reality depends on a fundamental way on our measuring devices. These, in turn, are subject to technological and, at a deeper level, to quantum mechanical limitations. Since we cannot measure all there is, we cannot know all there is. Thus, the boundaries of measurement set the limits of physics and of our explanations of physical reality. INTRODUCTION Are there unanswerable questions? Or can scientists, through their remarkable ingenuity and inventiveness, answer all questions related to physical reality? Since Thales of Miletus wondered about the material composition of the world some twenty-five centuries ago, a sense of invincibility has characterized the rational quest for knowledge: given enough time, Nature’s secrets will all be revealed to us.
    [Show full text]